BackgroundMK 41 has been in U.S. Navy service since 1986 with the commissioning of USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), and is now on more than 76 U.S. surface combatants. MK 41 VLS has proven to be 99.1% reliable, and is proven in combat situations. Of the 750 MK 41 VLS missile firings in Operation Iraqi Freedom, not a single mission was lost or scrubbed due to the MK 41 VLS. MK 41 VLS is installed in 18 different ship classes of U.S. and allied navies, and will be in service well into the 21st century.